Ceca (singer)

Svetlana Ražnatović (née Veličković; Serbian Cyrillic: Светлана Ражнатовић, née Величковић; pronounced [sʋětlana raʒnǎːtoʋit͡ɕ]; born 14 June 1973), better known as Ceca (Serbian Cyrillic: Цеца, pronounced [t͡sěːt͡sa]), is a Serbian singer. Dubbed the "Serbian Mother" ("srpska majka"), she made her recording debut in 1988 and has collectively released sixteen studio albums. She is recognized as one of the most commercially successful Serbian artists of all time with collective sales of seven million records. Furthermore, with 150,000 attendees, her 2013 concert in Ušće, Belgrade was one of the highest-attended concerts in the world. In 2023, Ražnatović also became the youngest recipient of the Life Achievement Award at the Serbian Folk Music Assembly. She has been described as a regional music star, and of the most popular names in Balkan music. From 1995 until his assassination in 2000, Ceca was married to Serbian mobster and paramilitary leader Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović, with whom she had two children, including fellow singer Anastasija. In 2011, Ceca was convicted of embezzlement and illegal firearm possession.